Article feeder



June 8, 1954 s. A. GIBSON, JR

ARTICLE FEEDER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 29. 1950 IN V EN TOR.

WM 67 A. A m. E V.

J 8, 1954 ca. A. mason, JR- $680,614

ARTICLE FEEDER INVENTOR. 650505 A. 6/550N, dk BY W e 0M, @Mq

A T TORNE Y5 June 8, 1954 G. A: GIBSON, JR

ARTICLE FEEDER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 29, 1950 INVENTOR. 650m: A. G/BsON, Jk.

NEKS.

Q jw E W ATTOR June 8, 1954 G. A. GIBSON, JR

ARTICLE FEEDER .5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 29, 1950 v INVENTOR.

0R 14. G/aso dk June 8, 1954 G. A. GIBSON, JR 2,680,614

ARTICLE FEEDER Filed July 29, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 650E 15 A. 6/5 $0 JR.

14 T TORNE Y8.

Patented June 8, 1954 ztsaau UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTICLE FEEDER George A. Gibson, J r., New York, N. Y. Application July 29, 1950, Serial No. 176,697

The present invention relates to an article feeding device and more particularly to such a device adapted to individually feed relatively flat articles such as sheets or groups of sheets,'envelopes,

whether empty or filled, and the like from a stack of such articles.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may b learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

Th accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate an embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a typical and illustrative embodiment of the invention, certain parts being broken away and other obscured parts beshown in broken lines for greater clarity;

Fig. 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along line 22 of Fig. 1

Fig. '3 is a top plan and cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. i is a detail perspective view of an element of the article feeding device shown in th foregoing figures;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of 'the reciprocating carrier and associated parts of th feeding device shown in the foregoing figures shown at one point in its travel;

Fig, 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the the carrier at another position in its path of travel of an improved article feeding device adapted particularly for use with relatively flat articles such as sheets or groups'of sheets, envelopes, and the like, the device being capable of automatically feeding such articles individually from a stack of 8 Claims. (Cl. 271-44) the articles.

Another object is the provision of such a feeding device which may be utilized both with relatively thin or relatively thick articles, that is, to feed individual sheets or groups of sheets such as signatures, or envelopes in their fiat condition or after they have been filled with mailing material. Still another object is the provision of a feeding device which may be utilized to feed articles of uneven thickness which do not stack evenly or well such as, for instance, envelopes which are filled with mailing material, or magazine and book signatures which may have a fold or be clipped together at one edge. The invention further provides a device which is designed for certainty of operation in the feeding of individual articles, and is conveniently designed for continuous operation, automatic feeding taking place from the bottom of a vertical stack of articles which may be continuously replenished by the operator. Still another object is the provision of manual and automatic control means for an article feeding mechanism of the characteristics mentioned.

With the above and other objects in view the illustrative embodiment of the invention as herein shown and described comprises an automatic feed ng device which might be used for the feed- .ing of envelopes filled, for instance, with dress patterns, from a vertical stack to a weighing machine station for postage weighing prior to final closure and dispatch of the envelopes. The device comprises a vertically arranged chute or hopper to hold articles to be fed in a generally vertical stack, the top being open for the manual or other introduction of articles, and the bottom being open for the individual feeding of articles from the bottom of the stack. Such feeding is effected by means of a reciprocating carriage having frictional elements adapted to lie in one position of carriage travel beneath the hopper or chute to engage the lowermost articl in the stack, and

movable with the carriage from beneath the hopper to deliver the said article. The lowermost article in the stack, and the stacked articles above, are supported upon rails beneath the hopper, and the frictional elements on the carriage are mounted for relative vertical movement with respect to the carriage and with respect to said ra ls, so that said elements may be raised to above said rails for engagement with the lowermost article when the elements are beneath the stack,

thecarriage and elements advanced to deliver said article from under the stack, and the elements returned again to their lower position and returned by the carriage to beneath the stack,

the frictional elements in their lower position being lower than said rails so as to be out of engagement with articles in the stack. Means are provided for driving the carriage and frictional elements in reciprocating motion as described, and for changing the vertical position of the frict onal elements, moving them upwardly at a position beneath the stack of articles and downward ly at their position to deliver the articles. Control means are also provided for manual adjustment so that the frictional elements may be made to remain in their lower position and the reciprocating carriage feed no articles in its travel, and automatic means are combined therewith so that upon failure of an article to reach delivery position, which may occur by reason of exhaust of the stack or jamming of the machine, the fric tional elements will likewise be rendered inoperative to feed further articles.

It will be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description as well are exemplary and explanatory of the invention but are not restrictive thereof.

Referring now in detail to the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the article feeding device comprises suitable base framework indicated gener ally by the numeral Id serving to support the machine framework, which comprises the side panels i l and l 2 and front and rear panels i3 and I l respectively, said panels being relatively strong and rigid so as to retain their positions and support the various elements of the device. The sides H and 12 are projected upwardly in extensions 15 which form the sides of the article holding hopper or chute indicated generally as 16. As best shown in Figs. 1 and 3, said hopper is provided with a front wall ll terminating short of the horizontal bed of the machine to provide an opening Hi from which stacked articles may be fed. The device is shown as adapted for the feeding of fill-ed envelopes such as is shown in Fig. l, and turned guide bars 2 3 are positioned at either side of the open rear side of the hopper I6 to engage the sealing flap of the envelopes and force the stack against the front wall H for a general alignment or positioning of the envelopes. The stack of articles in ho per I is normally supported by a plurality of rail members 2!, supported as shown (Fig. 3) upon cross rods 22 extending between the side panels 15.

The delivery of the article in hopper I6 is effected by means of a carriage hereinafter completely described, having a plurality of frictional resistance pieces such as rubber strips 25 carried thereby, adapted to be raised while positioned beneath hopper it to a position above the upper edges of rails 21 whereby the upper surfaces of said strips engaged the article, and the carriage and rubber strips are then driven forwardly to remove the article through opening :8 at the front of the hopper. Delivery of more than one article is prevented by means of curved fingers 26 preferably covered with frictional material, which are adjustably mounted on a cross rod 2"! journalled in the side frames 28 at the front of the machine, said fingers being positioned at the hopper opening l8 as best shown in Fig. 1, An arm 29 secured to said rod 2? is connected by means of a coiled spring 38 to a side frame 23 whereby said fingers 26 are spring biased against articles tending to be withdrawn from hopper l5, and an arm 31 is provided at the other end of rod 2'! to engage a stop 32 and limit the rotation of the rod and fingers when articles may not be present in the hopper.

Removal of articles 19 from the carriage and strips is effected by means of curved sculfers 58 also preferably covered with frictional material, mounted for rotary motion on a rod 4! extending between the side frames 28 and positioned thereon by means of stop members 42 at either side thereof on said rod, said members being axially adjustable with respect to the rod so that the scuffers may be positioned for articles of various sizes. The scuifers 4G tend to engage the upper surface of an article 19 on th carriage by gravity, and rear arm portions 43 thereof are adapted to engage the rod 45 extending between side frames 23 serving as a stop for downward travel of the scuffers when no article is beneath them. As the carriage and rubber strips 25 reach the forward point of their reciprocating moveent travehthe strips are dropped to a lower position disengaging the under surface of the article I9, which then rests on longitudinally extending channels 43 of the carriage, and the scuffers 48 engaged with the upper surface ofthe article remove it for delivery, as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 1, as the carriage is withdrawn to its position again beneath hopper It. A plurality of guiding strips l! are provided supported by their turned ends as shown in Fig. 3 on rod 27 and another cross rod 68 toward the front of side frames 28, serving to hold down the edges of articles I9 as they are forwarded and delivered.

Referring now to the detailed construction of the reciprocating carriage carrying the strips 25 and channels 45 already mentioned, such construction comprises a head member 50 having a pair of elongated bearing members 5! suitably secured to the under surface thereof mounted for free sliding movement on respective rods 52, which are suitably supported by brackets 53 and 54 on the side panels ll, l2, and the rear panel M, respectively, of the machine framework. The longitudinally extending channels 46 are suitably secured to said head member 58 adjacent their rear edges, and at their forward edges are secured to and interconnected by a cross member 5|, the channels being forwardly supported by a roller 52' for their reciprocating motion. A rubber strip 25, with its reinforcing channel 25' is positioned in each of the channels 46 toward the forward end thereof, and each said strip is provided with front and rear inclined cam members 55 and 56 secured to the under surface of its channel 25. Said cam members 55 and 56 are adapted to cooperate with front and rear cam portions 51 and 58 respectively mounted on flat bars 59, as best shown in Fig. 4, said bars being positioned for slidable motion in respective ones of the carriage channels 48, and being interconnected at their rear ends by a yoke member 60. The bars 59 are movablebetween positions illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, wherein the bars are shown in a rearward position in Fig. 6 with the top surfaces of strips 25 positioned below the upper edges both of channels 46 and rails 2 I, and in Fig. 5 the bars are shown in a forward position, the cam members and portions 55, 5B and 51, 58 having cooperated to raise the strips 25 to slightly above the edges of members 45 and 2|. The strips 25 are positioned in channels 45 by means of stops 65 in the channels at one end, and rollers 56 at their forward ends, said rollers, together with rollers 61, serving to position the flat bars 59 aswell.

The bars '59 through yoke 60 are interconnected with other parts of the carriage by means of a toggle connection comprising the links in pivot- "all ally connected to a bracket H on yoke 60, and

to other links 12, with a roller I3 at the pivotal interconnection of the links. The links I2 are pivotally connected to a bracket 74 secured to the 'head member 52 of the carriage, an aperture I5 being provided therein to accommodate the several elements of the toggle linkage described. Coiled springs 85 connected between horizontal pins BI of channels AG and pins 82 of bars 59 tend to hold the bars in the retracted position of Fig. 6 and cooperate with the toggle linkage to give a snap action to the relative movement of strips 25 in channels 46, said action being dampened somewhat by the dash pot arrangement comprising piston rod 83 secured by pin 84 to the central bar 59, and cylinder 85 secured by pin 86 to head member 59 of the carriage, said pin passing through aperture 8? in yoke to to allow relative movement of the parts. The toggle linkage TIL-l2 is straightened at the rear point of travel of the carriage by depressor detent 99 when it is properly positioned as hereinafter more fully described to raise the strips 25, and is collapsed at a forward point of travel of the carriage by means of a vertically arranged pin 9| on a supporting bar 92 which is arranged in the path of travel of the toggle, to engage a stud 93 secured to downwardly extending arm portions 94 of links "H1.

The means for driving the carriage members 50, 45 in reciprocating motion so as to alternately position the strips 25 beneath hopper I 6 and forwardly thereof, comprise a pulley s5 driven by belt 96 from a suitable power means such as an electric motor (not shown) said pulley being mounted on shaft 9': journalled in the side panels II and I2 of the machine framework. Gear 98 fixed to shaft 9? drives gear at on shaft iflt which is also journalled in panels I I and I2, said shaft carrying at one end the crank iIiI rotating therewith connected by link I92 to arm I63 fixed to shaft I lid to impart reciprocating rotary motion thereto. Shaft I M centrally of the machine has fixed thereto the arm I25, the upper end of which carries the pivotally connected link I 96 which is also pivotally mounted on a bracket iiil secured to i the under surface of head member at of the carriage, whereby the latter is driven in the reciprocating path described.

Control means are provided whereby, through the positioning of depressor detent 90, the toggle linkage lit-i2 may be actuated on each rearward travel of the carriage to raise the strips 25 for article feeding, or the toggle linkage may remain unaffected by said detent in which case no articles are fed although the carriage continues in motion,

and said control is effected both manually for v starting and stopping the feed of articles as desired by the operator, and automatically upon the failure of an article to reach delivery position from the carriage. As embodied the control means comprise a depressor detent shaft I Ill journalled in side lates I2? and 52? mounted on the side panels It and I2 of the machine, and detent '93 is adjustably secured thereto for rocking motion therewith. Said rocking motion for the shaft H9 is imparted thereto from shaft I which, as has been described, is continuously driven from the machine power means. Cam II I is fixed to shaft liltifor rotation therewith outside panel II of the framework, and cam the detent shaft III]. A relatively strong coiled spring H6 is connected to the crank system at the pivotal interconnection of arm II3 and link H4 and to panel II, exerting a continuous pressure toward maintaining the follower I I2 on the peripheral surface of cam I I I and rotating dc"- pressor detent Sill downwardly to a position where it will engage the toggle linkage lfll2 in its collapsed form to straighten it. The cam III is provided with a high surface I28, intermediate surfaces as indicated at I2I, and a low point with sudden drop-off thereto at I22. Said cam is so positioned on the shaft I00 that the low point I22 will be under follower I I2 at about the time that carriage Il48 is at the rearmost point of its reciprocating travel, while high surface I2!) is under the follower at the forward point of its travel. It will thus be seen that as the follower H2 is allowed to fall suddenly at point I22, the detent 98 will be brought suddenly downwardly to engage and straighten the toggle linkage ID-12, in the event that it is in collapsed condition at the time, and the strips 25 will be raised for article feeding.

The manual and automatic control of the feeding of the device is effected through the positioning of detent 99, permitting or prohibiting its fall coincident with low point I22 of cam III to raise strips 25 as described. Means for so controlling detent 90 comprise mechanism best shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings, including a second detent finger I 25 adjustably secured to shaft I I0 for rotary motion therewith, and a locking lever E26 pivotally mounted on a control plate I27 fixed to panel I2 of the framework. The locking lever lift comprises an upwardly extending arm I28, a downwardly extending arm I29, and an intermediate angularly extending arm I30. The locking lever is so mounted to pivot between the limits of stops Itl that at the limit of its counterclockwise lower surfaces and point I2I and I22 do not raise detent I25 sufiiciently high for such engagement. The control means further comprises a lever I32 independent of lock lever I26 but pivotally mounted on the same axis, which is interconnected with the arms I29 and I 32 by means of springs I 33 and I 34 respectively, the tension of said. springs being such as to normally center lever I32 between said arms, and to resiliently transmit motion thereto. The position of lock lever I26 is normally determined by spring I35 connecting arm I36 and stationary plate I27 urging the lock lever in a clockwise direction, and the tension of said springs are arranged to normally position lock lever I26 so that arm I28 is just out from under detent I25 prohibiting engagement therewith.

A manual starting and stopping lever IN is pivotally mounted on plate I27, having an arm iii to be manipulated by the operator as indicated in Fig. 8 to start or stop feeding of articles, an arm M2, and a central arm I43 having a bifurcated end to accommodate the pin M4 at the end of lever 32. The lever I is normally held by means of spring I d5 between arm 32 and plate 7 "I21 so that the bifurcated ends of arm is are spaced from pin I04. The lever 540 may be manually rotated between limits provided by the stops I45.

Means for automatically terminating further article feeding in the event that an article fails to reach delivery position upon forward movement of the carriage comprise the article feeler finger I50 secured to shaft I! which is journalled in side frames 28 at the delivery end of the machine, said shaft carrying at one end crank arm I52 to which push-pull rod I53 is connected, the other end thereof being connected to a pusher lever I54 pivotally mounted on control plate I21 and engaging with its nose I55 the lock lever I26. The feeler finger I50 is positioned to be raised by an article positioned on the carriage at the forward point of its travel, and when so raised the rod I53 rotates pusher lever its in a clockwise direction allowing loci; lever I26 to assume its normal position with arm i233 out from under detent I25, while the gravitational eifect of finger I56 at any time that it is not engaged by an article on the carriage, rotates pusher lever I54 in a counterclockwise direction to engage lock lever I23 and push arm I28 under detent I25, a stationary bar &8 is positioned between side frames 28 to limit downward gravitational movement of finger I50.

In describing the operation of the feeding device described let it be assumed that articles I9 have been positioned in hopper it to be fed therefrom, the power means have been started to continuously drive shaft 9?, whereby the carriage 50-55 is in continuous reciprocatory motion and cam I I l is in continuous rotation, and let it fur ther be assumed that the strips 25 are in their lower positions on the carriage, as illustrated in Fig. 6, with the toggle linkage lIl-'!2 collapsed as shown in said figure. In such operation the carriage will be continuously reciprocated without the feeding of articles, since no articles are forwarded to raise finger I56, which continuously remains down against stop rod 48, forcing arm 128 of lock lever I26 under detent 525, and hence follower H2 is prevented from falling into low point 522 of cam II! at the rearward point of travel of the carriage, and detent 90 does not fall to straightentoggle linkage IO-l2.

When the operator of the device then rotates manual starting lever Hill in a counterclockwise direction, the control parts are moved from the position of Fig. 8 to that of Fig. 9, arm I28 being move-d from beneath detent I25 against the opposite force of push lever I54, and finger I50 is raised. With the parts in this position, with the next backward travel of the carriage, the detent T25 is unrestricted by arm 28, follower H2 may fall into low point 122 of cam Ill, detent 50 falls suddenly under the influence of spring lit to engage and straighten toggle linkage ill-12 to the position shown in Fig. 5, wherein the carriage is just beginning its forward travel thereafter. With the strips 25 thereby placed in their upper position, the lowermost article I9 will be carried forward with the carriage. At the point of forwarclmost travel of the carriage, the toggle is collapsed by engagement with pin SI, as illustrated in Fig. 6, the strips 25 falling and the article being stripped off as the carriage returns, as already described. With an article in place at the forward point of travel of the carriage, the feeler finger I5c is raised, so that finger I28 may occupy its normal position out from under detent I25 uninfiuenced by push lever I54. As the car- 'iage begins its return to its backward position,

"detent I25 is allowed to become slightly lowered when follower H2 rides off of high surface I20 of the cam III, at which position arm I28 cannot move under the detent, so that when finger I50 falls with the delivery of the article, it cannot by pusher lever I54 force arm I28 into locking position. It will be apparent that to start operation for feeding articles it is only necessary to rotate the manual lever I40 as indicated at the time when the carriage is approaching it rearmost point of travel and at said point, so that follower I I2 may fall at low point I22 of the cam, the control thereafter automatically providing for raising of strips 25 at the rear point of carriage travel by the preceding lifting of finger I50 by the article when the carriage was at its forward point of travel.

When it is desired to manually stop the further feeding of articles, the manual lever I40 is rotated in a clockwise direction as indicated in Fig. 8, which tends to rotate lock lever I25 in a counterclockwise direction to engage arm I28 under detent I25. Such movement of arm I28 may take place when the detent is in its uppermost position with follower II2 on high surface I28 of cam Ill (at the point of forward travel of the carriage) and when the follower rides off said high surface detent I25 is positioned on arm I28 and detent lie is prevented from falling at the time low cam point I22 is under follower I I2. No further article feed will then take place until manual starting lever its is actuated, as finger its remains down at each forward travel of the carriage to continue the placement of arm I28 under detent l25.

It will be apparent that the operation of feeler finger I58 constitutes an automatic stopping of further eeding in the event that no article is on the carriage at the point of forewardmost travel thereof, as the pusher lever will in every instance position arm I23 under detent I25 when the same is up due to high surface I28 of the cam, unless, of course, manual force overcoming such action is being exerted at the time on lever I40 to start the feeding operation.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom, Within the scope of the accompanying claims, without departing fhom the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What I claim is:

1. An article feeding device comprising, in combination, means for holding a plurality of articles in superposed relationship, means for successively and individually feeding the lowermost article in said holding means, said feeding means comprising a carriage base, means for driving said base in horizontal reciprocating movement from an article pick-up position beneath each said successively lowermost article in said holding means to an article delivery position horizontally spaced therefrom, frictional means carried by said base for horizontal, reciprocating movement therewith, said frictional means being mounted for relative vertical movement with respect to said base but held against relative horizontal movement with respect thereto, cam means also carried by said base for horizontal, reciproeating movement therewith, said cam means being relatively horizontally slidable with respect to said base and engageable with said frictional means to move said frictional means vertically relative to said base, and toggle means interconmeeting the cam means and base," actuation whereof causes relative horizontal movement of said cam means with respect to said base, and means for actuating said toggle means including a driven cam and contacting means moved thereby adapted to engage and actuate said toggle means.

2. An article feeding device comprising, in combination, means for holding a plurality of articles in superposed relationship, means for successively and individually'feeding the lowermost article in said holding means, said feeding means comprising a carriage member, means for driving said member in horizontal, reciprocating movement from an article pick-up position beneath each said successively lowermost article in said holding means to an article delivery position horizontally spaced therefrom, said carriage member comprising a carriage base, cam means horizontally slidable on said base and carried by said base in horizontal, reciprocating movement, frictional means carried by said base and moved in horizontal reciprocating movement therewith and engageable by said cam means for movement vertically thereby, and toggle means interconnecting said base and cam means, means for horizontally sliding said cam means on said base when said carriage is in pick-up position and in said delivery position, including actuating means for said toggle means, and control means manually actuated for selectively rendering operative and inoperative said actuating means for said toggle means when said carriage is in pick-up position.

3. An article feeding device comprising, in combination, means for holding a plurality of articles in superposed relationship, means for successively and individually feeding the lowermost article in said holding means, said feeding means comprising a carriage member, means for driving said member in horizontal, reciprocating movement from an article pick-up position beneath each said successively lowermost article in said holding means to an article delivery position horizontally spaced therefrom, said carriage member comprising a carriage base, cam means horizontally slidable on said base and carried by said base in horizontal, reciprocating movement, frictional means engageable by said cam means for movement vertically thereby, said frictional means carried by said base and moved in horizontal reciprocating movement therewith, and toggle means interconnecting said base and cam means, means for horizontally sliding said cam means on said base when said carriage in pickup position and in said delivery position by actuation of said toggle means, and control means manually actuated for selectively rendering operative and inoperative said means for horizontally sliding said cam means when said carriage is in pick-up position by selective actuation and non-actuation of said toggle means.

4. An article feeding device comprising, in combination, means for holding a plurality of articles in superposed relationship, means for successively and individually feeding the lowermost article in said holding means, said feeding means comprising a carriage member, means for drivin said member in horizontal, reciprocating movement from an article pick-up position beneath each said successively lowermost article in said holdin means to an article delivery position horizontally spaced therefrom, said carriage member comprising a carriage base, cam means horizontally slidable on said base and carried by said base in horizontal, reciprocating movement, frictional means engageable by said cam means for movement vertically thereby, said frictional means carried by said base and moved in horizontal, reciprocating movement therewith, and toggle means interconnecting said base and cam means, means for horizontally sliding said cam means on said base when said carriage is in pick-up position and in said delivery position, actuatin means engageable with said toggle means for moving said cam means relative to said carriage base, article sensin means adjacent the article delivery position, and connecting means between said sensing means and actuating means preventin engagement of said actuating means with said toggle mean when said article sensing means does not sense an article.

5. An article feeding device comprising, in combination, means for holding a plurality of articles in superposed relationship, means for successively and individually feeding the lowermost article in said holdin means, said feedin means comprising a carriage member, means for driving said member in horizontal, reciprocating movement from an article pick-up position beneath each said successively lowermost article in said holding means to an article delivery position horizontally spaced therefrom, said carriage member comprising a carriage base, frictional means carried by said base and moved in horizontal, reciprocatin movement therewith and mounted for vertical movement thereon, cam means horizontally slidable on the base engageable with said frictional means and carried by said base in horizontal reciprocating movement, and toggle means interconnecting the cam means and base, means for automatically moving said frictional means upwardly when said carriage is in said pick-up position and downwardly when said carriage is in said delivery position, including a driven cam and contacting means connected thereto adapted to engage said toggle means, and control means including manually actuated means engageable with said toggle contacting means for selectively rendering operative and inoperative said means for moving said frictional means upwardly when said carriage is in pick-up position, and means for automatically rendering inoperative said means for movin said frictional means upwardly actuated when an article is not present on the carriage in said delivery position, said last means including an article sensin member adjacent said delivery position and connected to said control means.

6. An article feeding device comprising, in combination, a hopper for holding a plurality of articles in a substantially vertical stack, support members at the bottom of said hopper having surfaces for supporting articles therein and means for successively and individually feeding the lowermost article in said hopper, said means comprising a carriage member, means for driving said member in horizontal, reciprocating movement from an article pick-up position beneath said hopper to an articl delivery position horizontally spaced therefrom, said carriage member comprising a carriage base, frictional means carried by said base and moved in horizontal, reciprocatin movement therewith and mounted for vertical movement thereon, said frictional means having frictional surfaces to engage articles in said hopper, cam means horizontally slidable on the base engageable with said frictional means and carried by said base in horizontal, reciprocatin movement, and toggle means interconnecting the cam means and base, and means for automatically moving said frictional means to move said surfaces thereof above said support surfaces in said pick-up position and below said support surfaces in said delivery position including a driven cam and contactin means connected thereto adapted to engage said toggle means.

'7. An article feeding device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said control means further comprise a detent movable with said contacting mean and manually operable stop means for said detent for engagement therewith to prevent engagement of said linkage by said contacting means under control of said driven cam.

8. An article feedin device as set forth in claim '7 wherein automatic feed controlling means are provided comprising a finger position to be engaged by an article on said carriage in said delivery position and means interconnecting said finger and said stop means for selectively positionin and not positioning said stop means for engagement with said second detent.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,665,218 Powers Apr. 10, 1928 1,673,902 Cowgill June 19, 1928 1,724,657 Jahne Aug, 13, 1929 1,959,854 Cameron May 22, 1934 2,151,177 Alvine Mar. 21, 1939 2,265,007 Ryan Dec. 2, 1941 2,422,783 Jacobson June 24, 1947 2,433,120 Harrold Dec. 23, 1947 2,484,111 Mills Oct. 11, 1949 

